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Hello again lovelies!

Just wanted to say a big thank you to all the lovely comments and emails you have sent recently in regards particularly to today’s post on perfectionism! I didn’t expect this much positive feedback and am truly excited every time my email pings with a new comment or like for each of my articles. You are the best Fashion Hungry fans!

Also just wanted to say a big thank you to Justin of MomentMatters.wordpress.com who is actually re-blogging my article on perfectionism which was featured in the Clydebank Post a few weeks ago. I love having a sneak peak at all the new wordpress blogs too and it keeps me sane reading them in the wee hours of the night – insomnia sucks.

Also wanted to keep local Clydebank Post readers updated at the good news that my weekly fashion and lifestyle column will now be featured in newspaper The Dumbarton Reporter and Helensburgh Advertiser each week too! If you live near any of these please be sure to check it out (p22 in this week’s Clydebank Post).

Styletto magazine is also coming on swimmingly and our designer is working on the very first draft edition of Issue 1 as we speak! Thanks to our amazing photographer Sefa Ucbas and stunning model Natalie Soutar also for the shoot for our ‘Happiness’ feature last week. It looks amazing!

Anyway stay tuned guys and keep liking and commenting, check out my column if you can and Styletto online – I have uploaded a few reviews on some amazing beauty products for summer as well as some fabulous fashion picks!

Marcia from Desperate Housewives was an example of an extreme perfectionist.

WHEN conjuring up the image of a perfectionist, what often springs to mind is an immaculate, glossy-haired woman with a spick and span house and an impressive career to boot. However while many perfectionists may seem perfectly in control on the outside, on the inside they might be telling a whole different story.

I have always been a bit of a perfectionist. Whether it comes to work, keeping fit or organising work events, I get utterly frustrated if things don’t go as planned. To paint a clearer picture – when things don’t go seamlessly, I often end up a crumpled, neurotic mess. I’m not sure what drives my need to get things perfect – but I am sure there are many women out there who can relate.

In today’s society, we are continually met with women who appear to have flawless lives – the perfect body, husband, career etc. Despite knowing that perfection is simply impossible to achieve, it can be difficult not to feel inadequate when it seems everyone else is doing great.

It is not just women who suffer feeling this way. After tennis player Andy Murray’s tearful loss against Roger Federer at the Wimbledon men’s single final, Murray was criticised for being ‘dour-faced’ and miserable. However more so though than anything, I believe he is just another extreme perfectionist.

Now through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, people have the opportunity to create a life that they want people to see. Today already I have witnessed a slew of posts by people bragging about their great lives are – which is all very well mind you – but in my eyes, most of them seem highly invented.

The pressure to be perfect can be often overwhelming. There have been many times in the past where I have felt like a complete failure if I haven’t got the job I wanted, if I’ve ate too much chocolate or if someone has criticised me. Drastic I know, yet I can’t seem to shake off the feeling that I could do better.

One of the positive things you could say about perfectionism is that it gives people the incentive to strive for what they wish. This is what I believe spurs my desire for independence and ambition. However perfectionism doesn’t always result in good, as a teenager I suffered from severe anorexia nervosa, an illness where sufferers usually possess personality traits such as anxiety, low self-esteem and of course, perfectionism.

Not all cases are the same – however studies have shown that a majority of people with eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and depression all suffer from acute perfectionism. Those who suffer from perfectionism are also less likely to sleep well and tend to work their bodies harder physically as well as preventing them from forming healthy relationships with others.

Having such high-expectations for yourself can also be mentally deteriorating, particularly when original plans fail. Perfectionists tend to berate and exhaust themselves to the point where they end up giving up, which can be emotionally and physically damaging in the long run.

If the above describes you to a tee, then it may be time to cut yourself some slack. After all, imperfection is what makes us human, regardless to what your Facebook status reads.

NO one knew who Samantha Brick was until just recently. The brazen blonde grabbed headlines after her Daily Mail article: ‘Why do women hate me for being beautiful’ went viral, with thousands of women hitting back that they were all not – by any means – threatened by her “lovely looks.”

Just a few minutes after her article appeared online, the words ‘Samantha Brick’ were trending on Twitter. Her arrogance invoked fury from the public, particularly her claims that a vast number of married men fancied her more than their wives.

High profile comedians and celebrities also mooned in on the controversy, posting cynical jibes directed at her on Twitter, including a tweet from entrepreneur and fellow Bankie Duncan Ballantyne, who abruptly asked her if the article was ‘a joke.’

However, the vitriol the writer received was once again taken too far by internet trolls, with one user writing: ‘Samantha Brick should be bricked to death.’

For a country that takes pride in its modesty, Brick committed a cardinal sin by declaring her beauty in such a conceited manner.

Samantha heightened the storm further by publishing a follow-up article the next day, which stated that the backlash she received ‘proved’ her thesis that women do not like other attractive women.

There is no doubt that she provoked a strong reaction on a rather touchy subject, but the question is – do women really hate all beautiful women? Or is Samantha Brick just utterly delusional?

Psychology student Lyndsey MacDermid from Caledonian University says: “Insecurity is one of the main causes of jealousy.

“Body image problems and low self-esteem from a young age can invoke jealous feelings, particularly in young women.

“They might see a beautiful woman and think that they are full of themselves and will look down upon them, in turn making them feel instantly defensive and threatened.

“Jealousy is a normal feeling, however I think the problem has worsened as women are constantly bombarded with airbrushed images of celebrities which make them feel more insecure.

“I doubt Samantha Brick is as secure as she claims to be. I believe the public may have reacted so strongly because to be fair, a lot of them were probably not jealous of her.”

Model Natalie Souter, 23, from Dalmuir also spoke to the Post about how an ex-employer savagely picked on her at work because of her looks.

She said: “I used to work in a restaurant whilst juggling modelling jobs from time to time as modelling doesn’t always ensure a steady income.

“I was proud of my photographs and excitedly told a few people in the work about my new venture.

“However, shortly after I mentioned modelling part-time, my manager began to make rude comments about my appearance – including picking on my hair, clothing and body.

“I overheard a few girls talking about me in work, laughing at my photographs and generally being nasty.

“After that they stopped inviting me to nights out – proclaiming that I must be too busy ‘modelling.’ It began to really affect my self esteem.

“I stopped wearing makeup, started to dress dowdier and rarely spoke for fear they would make fun of me.

“From my own experience, women are often jealous of other women who are perceived as beautiful. This shows their own insecurities but looks are only skin deep so it’s a shame when women act this way.”

Although it is normal to feel a pang of jealousy when Little Miss Perfect saunters through the door, declaring your hatred for someone just for being pretty, is just as shallow as refusing to be friends with someone less attractive.

So whether Samantha Brick’s unabashed anecdotes were truly legitimate – or just a smart move to get propelled into the public eye – she still managed to shine light on a subject that most women wouldn’t dare speak of.

It is doubtful that all women despise their genetically-blessed counterparts. We are able to admire beauty just as much as men do, otherwise we would never purchase glossy fashion magazines or find entertainment from our favourite glamorous celebs.

Regardless to whether we think Brick is just another self-important, ego-maniac suffering delusions of grandeur, while there are some women out there jealous of others, it is perhaps just a fact that we get on better with those who exude a slightly more humble attitude.